Location, Planning, and Utilities.

Our site already had electrical and a drilled well, so we just needed to clear trees for our camper's base camp. Our area requires a permit to have a camper on the lot longer than 14 days so that's another thing to consider. Extended stay camper permits often require a septic or sewage handling system onsite. Septic system can vary greatly in cost depending on size, soil conditions and a number of other factors. We considered everything from holding tanks (5k-7k) to systems with lift pumps and drain fields (10k-20k. After several bids, we decided on a gravity system with drain field. We had the system sized for our cabin plan + one bedroom in case we ever wanted to add on.  

Our onsite well was drilled to a depth of 60' by the previous owners. Something to look out for is shallow or sand point wells under 50' deep. These are common with older cabins. In Minnesota they're designated as environmentally sensitive and often require greater setbacks for structures and septic. They may also require updates before future permits are approved. I'll let you do the research, but it's another hidden item to invest some research before you buy. Verbal estimates from local drillers on other lots would vary from 6k-15k depending on well depth, soil/rock, etc. 

We decided on an older toy hauler style camper to make storing tools and construction items easier. We also planned to sell the camper at the end of the build and found the toy hauler style to have slightly better resale.  So, the first thing we did was clear areas for camper, construction driveway and septic. 

Other Things to consider. All municipal areas have various setbacks for septic, structures, wells etc. This will greatly influence your construction and costs. Most cities/counties have their ordnance listed online and it's a good idea to download and understand these before purchasing any land. I should also note that my county's ordnance is 219 pages, 183 pages are regarding lake property. Lake ordnance can be exhaustingly convoluted and frustrating but remember its what helps preserve the natural health and beauty of the area. Gone are the days of elbow-to-elbow cabins and clear cutting the lots. 

We spent the first season clearing land and enjoying the lake. We also staked out our cabin location and did some more planning on sourcing materials for construction. 

Ordnance and permit requirements can greatly impact your construction decisions. Our area required us to follow the IBC (international building code) and the NEC (national electrical code). The electrical can be done by the owner and is permitted and inspected by the state. The rest is inspected by the county. Our area seemed concerned with the septic, electrical, and structure square footage; leaving the rest up to us to decide if we maintained code compliance. Areas vary greatly on this and often have separate permits/inspections for windows, roofing, framing, plumbing etc. Before you start be realistic with what you can do and what may require a contractor.

Fortunately, I was able to utilize my old residential drafting and construction background and create a cabin plan for the construction permit. If you're CAD savvy, there are a lot of online programs for this. My structure was fairly simple to draw up with enough detail for construction and estimates.

One other note of advice when planning is to utilize local vacation cabin rentals while planning. Honestly, spend a summer at some cabins and see what you really desire in a cabin. Is it the lake, the woods, architecture, local recreation? This will provide a lot of clarity when you're in the planning stages.